Preface

A Resource Guide for the Scholarly Study of the Bahá'í
Faith is edition seven of what was previously titled A Curriculum Guide
for the Bahá'í Faith. Editions one through five consisted
primarily of the Curriculum Guides section (section one in current edition)
with a limited annotated bibliography and only one appendix. In editions six
and seven the scholarly bibliography and its annotations grew in size and the
appendices in number, such that the Guide became far more than simply
one for curricula. Its new title reflects its broader content.

The purpose of the Resource Guide is to provide information about how to
include the Bahá'í Faith in college and university courses, to
give an annotated bibliography of reliable scholarship for the student or
researcher, and to provide him or her with a selection of helpful resources. It
was written with four audiences in mind: (1) university instructors in
Religious Studies, Sociology, Middle East Studies, and other disciplines, who
usually do not know much about the Bahá'í religion and may want
to include it in their existing courses; (2) instructors at colleges and
universities who are Bahá'ís and would like to offer courses on
the Bahá'í religion, but who do not have training in Religious
Studies, and thus do not know what educational standards exist in that field;
(3) Bahá'í students at colleges and universities who would like
to propose a course to the university administration or its Religious Studies
department; (4) those who wish to do research on the Bahá'í Faith
and need an annotated bibliography and resource manual to guide them.

In order to fill the needs of these four very different audiences, the
Resource Guide has four main parts: the Curriculum Guides, the Annotated
Bibliography, Assorted Resource Tools, and Indices.

1) Curriculum Guides for Teaching the Bahá'í Faith

The curriculum guide segment provides some possible outlines for academic
presentations of the Bahá'í Faith. Course outlines include: (1)
an introductory article about the Bahá'í Faith, entitled "The
Bahá'í Faith: A Short Introduction"; (2), a three-hour section on
the Bahá'í Faith designed for inclusion in a course on
Comparative Religion, which lists relevant paragraphs from Section Two,
"Annotated Bibliography of Scholarship on the Bahá'í Faith"; (3)
outlines of four complete one-semester courses on the Bahá'í
Faith, with numerous references to the annotated topical bibliography,
including "A Comparative Religion Approach," "A Sociological Study of the
Bahá'í Community," "The Bahá'í Faith in Historical
and Comparative Perspectives," and "A Traditional Bahá'í Approach
to the Bahá'í Faith."

These outlines are designed to offer assistance for many of the different ways
of approaching the Bahá'í Faith. First, there is the "comparative
religion" approach. Here we intentionally favor the term "comparative religion"
over "history of religions" because we do not choose to emphasize history as
much as an examination of the Bahá'í religion from the point of
view of the major themes found in most religions: prophecy, doctrine,
scripture, community life, ethics, ritual, pilgrimage, mysticism, and others.
Second, there is the "sociological" approach, which emphasizes the members of
the religion themselves: what they believe and why, how they have come to
believe it, how they organized themselves into a community, and what that
community means to them. Third, there is what might be called a traditional
Bahá'í approach, which emphasizes the founders of the
Bahá'í Faith, their writings and teachings, and the
Bahá'í organizational system.

In a sense, the three approaches can be epitomized by considering three terms:
Bahá'í religion, Bahá'í community, and
Bahá'í Faith. "Bahá'í religion" is a neutral term
and carries the overtones of impartial scholarly study. "Bahá'í
community" focuses on the members, individually or collectively, and
de-emphasizes the doctrinal and leadership aspects of the tradition.
"Bahá'í Faith" is the traditional term that Bahá'ís
use for their religion and therefore conveys overtones of piety or sympathetic
appreciation for the tradition.[1] In the
appropriate sphere for each--the comparative-religious, the sociological, and
the traditionally Bahá'í--each term claims primacy for expressing
the essence of the Bahá'í phenomenon.

1. "Baha'ism" is considered inappropriate by Bahá'ís, for reasons that are not easy to determine; it is best
avoided by scholars, just as "Mohammedanism" is now avoided in favor of the term "Islam" and "Musselman" or "Moslem" are avoided in favor of "Muslim."

2) Annotated Bibliography of Scholarship on the Bahá'í Faith

The annotated topical bibliography, comprising the bulk of the Resource
Guide, consists of definitions of most major aspects of
Bahá'í history and belief and corresponding references.

The contents of this bibliography are not intended to be exhaustive. Indeed, we
have only listed a fraction of the available scholarship. In choosing what to
list, we considered: (1) whether the source is too dated; (2) whether the
source is academic enough to be useful in a university setting; and (3) whether
the source presents enough information to be useful. For the most part, then,
we have left out: (1) old scholarship, of which there is very little, anyway;
(2) apologetic and "popular" works; and (3) sources with less than a few pages
of applicable information. Exceptions to the above include: (1) dated works
that are still useful or that have not yet been replaced by newer scholarship
on the same topic; (2) popular works that yet provide useful information or,
indeed, the only published information on a topic; and (3) sources that, though
being short, represent the only available information on a subject.

3) Assorted Resource Tools

The Resource Guide includes a variety of appendices and indices of
possible value to the researcher. First are bibliographies: writings of
Bahá'u'lláh and the "Leiden List" of the major tablets of
Bahá'u'lláh--which manuscripts contain them in their original
language, their place of revelation, and their translation history--followed by
lists of the major published works of the Báb, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and
Shoghi Effendi, respectively; the citations of the Bábí and
Bahá'í religions found in some of the more common humanities
indices, such as the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature and a table
presenting the treatment of the Bahá'í Faith in religion
textbooks, dictionaries, and Encyclopedias. Second are two essays: a brief
article which clarifies the common misunderstanding that the
Bahá'í Faith is a syncretism, and an explanation of the many
Bahá'í resources available on the internet. Third are various
listings: Bahá'í videos suitable for classroom use; a glossary of
common Bahá'í terms, including pronunciation notes; and names and
addresses of the major Bahá'í publishers and journals, both
independent and official.

4) Indices

Finally, a comprehensive bibliography and two indices complete the
Guide. The bibliography lists every work cited in the Resource
Guide. The two indices are one listing all journals and encyclopedias
cited, and then one of all authors, titles, and subjects mentioned.

The Resource Guide is not a completed product, but will undergo
expansion, modification, and updating as new materials are published and as
feedback leads to improvements. We encourage comments and criticisms. As well,
we would like to know of any useful and scholarly books or articles that we
have not cited.

Please send any general comments to Robert Stockman,
rstockman@usbnc.org, or Research Office, Bahá'í National
Center, Wilmette, IL, 60091; phone number (847) 733-3425 and fax number (847)
733-3563. Please send any specific corrections or additions to Jonah Winters,
winters@interlog.com. Email correspondence is preferred. Robert Stockman
and the Research Office will also be glad to answer additional questions that
the Resource Guide does not cover.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many people have assisted with the development of the Resource Guide, both in writing and editing it and in offering suggestions and corrections. The
following individuals (in alphabetical order) have been instrumental in its
production.

Christopher Buck donated his New World Transliterator font system for use in
the Guide, and offered bibliographic suggestions. Seena Fazel provided detailed
editorial commentary and suggestions for additions, and his articles on
citation analyses and other bibliographic studies helped organize our sections
on these topics. Sen McGlinn also provided much editorial assistance and, in
collaboration with others, compiled the in-depth "Leiden List" of the tablets
of Bahá'u'lláh. Will C. van den Hoonard assembled the curriculum
guide for "A Sociological Study of the Bahá'í Community."